Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Ghana and Nigeria have been awarded for their outstanding contributions towards tourism promotion in West Africa.
According to the list of awardees published by the Ghana News Agency, recipients of the awards are mainly from the “Corporate sector” as Tour Guides, Travel Writers and youth promoting West African tourism in one way or the other were ignored.
Among the awardees are Mrs Uloma Egbuna, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tour Brokers International; and Mr Simon Grindrod, the General Manager of The Wheatbaker Lagos.
Dr Michael Pinder, Group General Manager, Sun Heaven Hotels and Resorts and Mr Lehlohonolo Hloni Pitso, the Regional Manager West Africa for South African Tourism’s regional Africa office based in Lagos, Nigeria were among the winners.
From Ghana awardees are Ms Hazel Gumpo, the Group General Manager of Oak Plaza Hotel; Leeford Quarshie, General Manager of La Villa Boutique Hotel; Mrs Bella Ahu, CEO of Trafix Catering Limited; Dr Daniel McKorley, the Executive/Chairman of McDan Group of Companies; Mr Nicolas Jørgensen Gebara, General Manager, Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund and Mrs Nancy Sam Quartey, Chief Executive Officer of Staple Travel and Tours, Ghana.
Top 100 Personalities also included Nana Dwomoh Brobbey, Chief Executive Officer, Capital View Hotel Ghana; Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Communications, Ghana; Manish Nambiar, General Manager, Kempinski Gold City Hotel Accra Ghana; Roman Krabel; General Manager, Accra City Hotel, Accra – Ghana, and Sajid Khan, General Manager, Tang Palace Hotel, Accra – Ghana.
The rest are Stella Fubara – Obinwa, Director Africa International Operations of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing, received the Balafon award of the Travel Personality of The Year in West Africa and also the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in West Africa.
Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra carted away the Balafon’s Best Hotel in West Africa while ASKY Airlines received the award for the Best Airline in West Africa. Others awardees on the list of Top 100 Tourism Personalities in West Africa includes Dr Taiwo Afolabi, Chairman, SAHCOL; Mr Chike Ogeah, Vice Chairman, SAHCOL; Mr Rizwan Kadri, Managing Director, SAHCOL; Pastor (Mrs) Silifat Omolaja Lawal, Managing Director/CEO, God’s Power Travel Agency Limited, and Mr. Gabriel Olowo, President/CEO, Sabre Network NMC, West Africa.
The Top 100 Tourism Personalities was set up to recognize individuals, who have distinguished themselves and through their efforts or that of their organizations have impacted positively on the travel and tourism sector across the West African sub region.
Mr Ikechi Uko, the organiser of the Awards told the GNA that it was also to recognise those whose efforts had stimulated and helped to achieve their individual country’s tourism goals and forging interactions among stakeholders and customers across the region.
Members of the diplomatic Corps in Ghana which included high commissioners and ambassadors, were well represented among them were Lulu Xingwana, South African High Commissioner to Ghana; Mr Thomas Okyere, the Honorary Consul, Botswana Honorary Consulate to Ghana; Pavelyn Tendai Musaka, Zimbabwe Embassy in Ghana and Mwansa S. Rowland, Deputy High Commissioner for Zambia High Commission in Ghana.
The diplomats were also honoured with the Awards of Recognition for their outstanding roles in driving travel and tourism exchanges between their countries and West Africa. Nene Nagai Kassa VIII, known as Mr Mike Gizo, the Chief of Agomeda called on stakeholders and practitioners in the travel and tourism industry in Ghana to seek knowledge towards moving the industry forward by attending travel fairs.
He urged them to support Accra Weizo, an ECOWAS travel fair which is held in Accra annually.
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